AWS List Resources vs AWS Resource Discovery: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)
Features, pricing, ratings, and pros & cons — compared head-to-head.
AWS List Resources is a free cyber asset attack surface management tool. AWS Resource Discovery is a free cyber asset attack surface management tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best cyber asset attack surface management fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Teams doing AWS inventory work on a budget or running lightweight asset discovery should start here; AWS List Resources gives you JSON-enumerated resources across accounts and regions without licensing friction, and the 176 GitHub stars suggest real adoption among engineers who just need the catalog, not a commercial CASPM. The Python-based approach means you control the execution environment and can integrate output directly into your existing pipelines without vendor lock-in. Skip this if you need prioritization, risk scoring, or attack surface analysis layered on top of inventory; this tool stops at enumeration and leaves the hard work to you.
Teams building an initial asset inventory across sprawling AWS accounts should start with AWS Resource Discovery because it discovers what you actually have before you can defend it, and the free price tag means zero friction to run it today across dev and prod environments. The tool catalogs resources in JSON format via botocore, giving you the raw material to feed into downstream CSPM or CIEM tools rather than replacing them. Skip this if you need continuous monitoring or remediation workflows; it's a one-time discovery pull, not a persistent control plane.
